Safety trolley-base.



No. 676,378. Patented lune Il, |90l.

A c wuLFE y SAFETY TROLLEY BASE.

(Application .led Jan. 22, 1901.)

(No Model.)

/N VEN TOR.

WTNESSES A TT ORNE Y.

Nn. 676,378. Patented lum;I Il, I90I.

- A. C. WOLFE.

SAFETY TRULLEY BASE.

(Application led Jan. 22, 1901.)

2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

FIG. 3.

W/TNESSES.- MdM/W flL/NVNTOR M Wm w' f l l ATTORNEY l 1N: unam: PETERS on.. Fumo-mmc.. wnnlumon. o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW O. W'OLFE, OF DENVER, COLORADO,

AssieNoR or Two-Turnus To CHARLES K. WOLFE AND FRANK DILLINGHAM, OF SAME PLACE, AND JOSEPH F. HEVITT, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY TRO LLEY-BAS E..

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 676,378, dated June 1 1, 1901. Application filed January 22, 1901. Serial No. 44,328. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.:

Be it known that I, ANDREW C. WOLFE, a citizen of the United States, residing at No. 1415 Sixteenth avenue, in the city of Denver,

county of Arapahoe, and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Safety Trolley-Base, of which the following is a specifif cation.

This invention relates to safety trolley-bases 1o of that class in which the accidental leaving of the wire by the trolley-pole causes the lowering of the pole to avoid injury to the crosswires and to the trolley-pole.

The principal objects of the invention are,

iirst, to provide a trolley-base in which the sustaining-springs are counterbalanced by opposing springs when released to aid in replacing the sustaining-springs and to'cushion the descent of the pole; second, to provide a zo releasing trolley-base having a latch to retain the pole in a lowered position; third, to provide a releasing trolley-base havin g an automatically-adjustable connection from the pole to the releasing-catch, which shall be operative to release the sustaining-springs While the pole is in a high, low, or intermediate position, and, fourth, to provide a trolley-base having a releasing means embodying an aircylinder, whereby the quick upward Inove- .30 ment of the pole will cause the release of the sustaining-springs, while the slow upward movement of the pole will not cause such release.

The above objects are attained by means of 3 5 the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyi ing drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the trolleybase with the upper part of the trolley-pole broken away. Fig. 2 is an opposite side ele- 4o vation, partlyin section, and showing the trolley-base in a released position. Fig. 3 is a 4side elevation, partly in section, showing a modified form of the releasing means from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4: is a rear elevation of the equalizing-lever as seen from the left in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the swivel and fork as seen from the right in Fig. 1. In Fig. 3 only such parts are shown as are necessary to illustrate the re- 5o leasing means.

In this improved trolley-base, A represents a base-plate which is to be secured to the top of the carin any desirable manner, as by bolts passing through the same, and upon this baseplate is pivoted the swivel-post B by means of the stud B'. Pivoted to the top of the swivel-post B is the fork C, which oscillates freely upon the pivot B2, and secured in the upper portion of the fork O is the trolley-pole D, which is secured in the fork in any desirable manner. The swivel-post B has a rearward extension B3, bent upward and terminating in the bifurcated portion B4, the two side portions of which are connected together near the top by the cross-rib B5, formed, preferably, integral therewith. In the vertical slot of this bifurcated part B4 is placed an equalizing-lever E,which is pivoted upon the pin E',which is preferably tight in the equalizing-lever E. The top end of lever E is forked, terminating in the arms E2 and E3, which have holes through them vfor the reception of the sustaining-springs, to be later described.

FiXedly secured to the back side of the lever E is a cross-piece E4, secured in any desirable manner, as by the screws E5, and near the ends of this cross-piece are formed annular recesses for the receptionof equalizing-springs, which will be further described later. Between the forks 'E2 and E3 is a projection terminating in the hook EG for engagement with a latch upon the trolley-pole to prevent the same from rebounding after release. Riveted or otherwise secured to the side of the lever E is a catchblock E7 for engagement with a retaining-pawl F, which is pivoted upon the pin F', inserted in the extension B4. Through the lower .eX- tremity of lever E is a transverse hole in which is secured a rope or cord G, which passes through the vertical slot in extension B4 at the side of the pawlF and over a pulley G, revolubly mounted upon a pin Gr2 in a slot B6, and thence through a central hole through the stud B', and has secured to it a suitable handle G8 to be grasped by the attendant to return the lever E to its operative position to sustain the pole D.

The rear end of the pawl F is formed into a hook adapted to engage with the catchblock E7, the front end of the pawl F being formed into a weight F2, and a pin F3, passing through the pawl, acts as a stop for the IOO weighted end of the pawl. Beneath the weighted part the pawl is formed with an inclined surface F4, and engaging with the same is the inclined end of a slide H, mounted in caps H and H2 for free reciprocatory movement, with a stop H3 for its rearward movement, a stop H4 for its forward movement, and spring H5, which tends to retain it in its forward position. The movement to the rear of this slide H raises the weighted end of pawl F and depresses the rear end of same suiiiciently to cause the hook of the pawl to disengage from the catch-block E7, allowing the lever to swing out to the position shown in Fig. 2, its normal or operative position being as in Fig. l, being held in such position by engagement with the pawl F.

Pivotcd to the interior of one arm of the fork C is a pendant J, which is normally snstained against a stop J in any desirable manner, as by the springJ2, andthe position of this pendant is such that as the fork swings toward the rear when the pole D rises to asufiicient height the pendant will engage with the front end of the slide H and move the same toward the rear sufficiently to disengage the pawl F, and thereby release the lever E. As the pole continues to rise the pawl as it follows the curved dotted line shown in Fig. 2 disengages from the slide H, which is immediately retracted by the spring H5 to its forward position, allowing the pawl to assume a position for again engaging the lever E. As the pole descends and the fork returns toward its forward position the pendant drags over the front end of the slide, the spring J2 permitting the pendant J to recede sufficiently from the stop J to pass over the slide.

Pivotally secured in the lower portions of the fork C are outwardly-projecting studs C', into which are screwed the adjustable eyebolts C2, and into these eyebolts are hooked the sustaining-springs S, the opposite end of the said springs being hooked into the forks E2 and E3 of the lever E. These sustainingsprings S have snicient tension when the lever E is in the latched position, as shown in Fig. 1, to elastically support the pole D with approximately even pressure up against the trolley-wire at any height the wire may be within the limits of movement of the pole, or from about ten degrees above the horizontal tov about sixty-five degrees above the horizontal, the increased tension of the springs as the pole lowers being compensated for by the decrease in the angle at which the springs and the fork stand.

Secured in the opposite sides of the extension B3 are studs B7, into which are screwed the eyebolts B8, and into these eyebolts are hooked the equalizing-springs Q, and the opposite ends of the same are hooked upon the cross-piece E4, as before mentioned. These equalizing-springs Q are somewhat weaker than the sustaining-springs S, and consequently are overcome by the latter upon the pawl F being disengaged from the lever E, causing the lever to then assume the position shown in Fig. 2.

Pivotally secured in a clamp K, secured upon the trolley-pole D, is a latch L, which is limited in its rearward movement by a projection L', resting against the pole, and a spring L2 tends to sustain the latch in such position as to engage with the hook EG of the lever E when the lever is in the unlatched position (shown in Fig. 2) and the pole D is in its lowered position, as shown in the same View. Fig. 2 therefore represents the position of the respective parts of the trolley-base after the pole has left the wire and has raised above its working position sufliciently to force back the slide H, tipping the pawl F, releasing the lever E, which is thrown outward or to the rear by the excess of force of springs S over springs Q, in consequence of which-the pole D descends and the latch L retains it in its lowered position. As the pole is allowed to descend by the force of gravity after the unlatching of lever E and is detained in its lowered position by latch L, the tension of springs S is but slightlyin excess of the tension of springs Q, and therefore the lever E may easily be returned to its vertical or operative position by the attendant pulling the handle G3 and cord G until the lever is engaged by the pawl F. At the first part of the return movement of lever E the pole D is unlatohed by the tipping and rearward movement of hook E, thus allowing the ascent of the pole while the leverE is being returned, and this feature of unlatching the pole at the first of the said return movement allows of the easing up of the tension of springs S and causes the resistance to the return movement to be materially reduced. The cord G may be carried about suitable pulleys to the front or rear platform of the car (not shown) to be convenient for the motorman or conductor.

A substitute for or modification of the connections from the fork C to the pawl F is shown in Fig. 3, in which an air-cylinder, piston, and piston-rod are substituted for the slide H and pendant J. To suit this modification, the pawl F is provided with a vertical extension or arm F5, and the action of the weight F2 is preferablyaugmented by a spring F, attached to a projection F7 and secured to a suitable hook or eye in the extension B3. To the upper extremity of the arm F5 is pivotally secured one end of an air-cylinder M, having a combined cap and guide M', through which freely slides a piston-rod P, the front end of which is pivotally secured to the fork C. The piston P is preferably provided with a leather or other flexible washer P2, having the edge turned toward the rear and being adapted to compress the air in the rear portion of the cylinder M and to suck in air at the front end of the cylinder M through suitable openings N through cap M' and openings N through piston P, the leather washer acting as a valve against the face of the pis- IOO ton. The cylinder M is provided with one or more small openings M2 and an adjustable opening M3, regulated by the needle-point screw M4, and through these openings M2 and M3 the air may be slowly expelled as the trolley-pole slowly rises, as when it follows up an inclined wire from beneath a bridge or other overhead structure; but in case the pole D rises suddenly, as when the pole leaves the trolley-wire, the openings M2 and M2 do not allow the exit of the air as rapidly as corresponds to the advance of the piston P', and the pressure resulting from 'this limitation of air-exit and rapid advance of piston causes the cylinder M to overcome the weight F2 and spring F6 and the friction of pawl F, where it engages the lever E, and the pawl is therefore tipped and the lever E released. I do not wish to confine myself to the exact construction of air-cylinder, piston, air-inlets, &c. shown, as it is evident that the desirable feature is to have an air-cylinder in which the piston mayadvance at a moderate rate of speed without operating the pawl F; but a rapid advance of the piston will cause the cylinder to operate the pawl, because of the limited exit of the air contained in the cylinder.

The possibility of providing a construction wherein the 'release of the sustaining-'springs is effective from low running positions of the trolley is very desirable, as the injury is often severe where the pole leaves the wire be- Death solid overhead structures, as bridges, elevated railways, dac., and yet the construction must be such as to have the release equally effective when the car passes from beneath the structure and the pole is running high.

The adjustment of the air-outlet of the cylinder M is for the purpose of adapting the device to the combined slant of trolley-wire and customary speed of the car while passing under such slant. The cross-rib B5 acts as a stop for lever E. 4

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a trolley-base, the combination, with a pivoted trolley-pole, of sustaining-springs; an equalizing-lever; equalizing-springs; and a retaining-pawl, for said equalizing-lever.

2. In a trolley-base, the combination, with a pivoted trolley-pole, of sustaining-springs; equalizing-springs; an equalizing-lever connecting the said equalizing and sustaining springs; a retaining-pawl, engaging with said to said pawl.

3. In a trolley-base, the combination, with a pivoted trolley-pole, of sustaining-springs; an equalizing-lever; equalizing-springs; and a latch, in position and adapted to retain the said pole in its lowered position.

4i. In a trolley-base,- the combination, with a trolley-pole pivoted upon a swivel-support, of sustaining-springs; equalizing-springs; an equalizing-lever to which the said springs are attached; a pawl adapted to retain the said lever in its operative position; and connections frorn said pole to said pawl, embodying an air-cylinder with limited openings for the exit of air.

5. In a trolley-base, the combination, with a pivoted trolley-pole, of sustaining-springs; equalizing-springs; an equalizing-lever; a pawl engaging with said lever; air-compression disengaging means connecting said pole with said pawl; and an air-outlet in the said disengaging means, regulated by an adjusting-screw.

6. In a trolley-base, the combination, with a pivoted trolley-pole, of sustaining-springs; equalizing-springs opposing the said sustaining-springs; an'equalizing-lever connecting the said sustaining and equalizing springs; a pawl engaging said lever; means for disengaging said pawl from said lever; and a cord for returning the said lever to its operative position.

7. In a trolley-base, the combination, with a pivoted trolleypole, of sustaining and equalizing springs; an equaliZing-lever; a retaining-pawl engaging with said lever; a slide in position and adapted to disengage said pawl; and a pendant-upon the fork of said pole,for the operation of said slide.

8. In a trolley-base, the combination, with a pivoted trolley-pole, of an equalizing-lever; means for latching and disengaging said lever; and a latch upon the said pole, for engagement with the said lever, and released by the return of the lever.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal, before two subscribing witnesses, at Denver, Colorado, this 18th day ofA January, A. D. 1901.

ANDREW c. woLEE.

IOO 

